Iran could shut the Strait of Hormuz as a way of hitting back against its enemies, a senior lawmaker said on Thursday, though a second member of parliament said this would only happen if Tehran's vital interests were endangered.

The escalating Israel-Iran conflict has prompted shipowners to exercise an extra degree of caution in both the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

Conflict between Israel and Iran has rekindled fears of a disruption to a narrow waterway key to the global economy. Skyscraper-sized tankers ferry roughly one-fifth of the world’s petroleum, as well as massive cargoes of natural gas,